New Bus Terminal Opens Temporarily At Parking Lot

The Bethlehem Bus Terminal has opened its new temporary location on a city parking lot south of Mechanic Street between New and Adams streets.

The business had to make way for the scheduled renovation of its former home, the old city garage building at 3rd Street and Brodhead Avenue, into a motel.

The new location, a few blocks from the old building, should be more convenient because it is closer to Lehigh University, which provides the majority of the terminal's business, said James Jebran, treasurer of Trans- Bridge Lines, which is leasing the parking area from the city.

Jebran said the company is still trying to find a permanent location for the terminal. He said the company has yet to install the signs for the 50-foot trailer designating it as the new terminal location. That improvement, connection of the trailer to water and sewage systems and some lighting and other improvements should be completed in about a week, he said.

"We had to be out (of the old citygarage building) by May 1," Jebran said, "so it was sort of a rush" to move into the trailer, which opened on Thursday.

Donald Ronca and John McGeehan plan to turn the building at 3rd and Brodhead into a Quality Inn, but renovation work, scheduled to begin in early April, had not yet begun as of yesterday. Ronca could not be reached yesterday for an estimate of when the work would start. The developers purchased the property from the city for $251,000.